GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication)

GSM defines a standard for a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)

GSM is a globally accepted standard for digital cellular communication

Because GSM provides a common standard, cellular subscribers can use
their telephones over the entire GSM service area which includes all the
countries around the world where GSM system is used

Three bands of operation :

GSM900

GSM1800

GSM1900 (used in USA)

BSNL operates in the GSM900 & 1800 band.

GSM900 has its up-link and down-link frequencies in the 900MHz range

Up-link frequency band is from 890MHz to 915MHz (25MHz)

Down-link frequency band is from 935MHz to 960MHz (25MHz)

The 25MHz up-link and down-link frequency band is divided into 125 RF
Channels or radio carriers with inter-carrier spacing being 200KHz
1
 GSM900 Up-link & Down-Link Frequency Band

PLINK
U

LINK
W N
200KHz DO

890MHz 915MHz 935MHz 960MHz

0 124 0 124
BW = 25MHz BW = 25MHz
125 Channels of 200KHz BW 125 Channels of 200KHz BW

2
 ARFCN (Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number)

 Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN) is a serial Number of the Up-
link and Down-link Frequencies, 0 through 124

One ARFCN corresponds to an Up-link frequency and a Down-link frequency 45MHz

apart

 BSNL has been allotted 31 ARFCNs

45MHz
890MHz 915MHz 935MHz 960MHz

0 124 0 124

ARFCN 0 ARFCN 1 ARFCN 124 3

ARFCNs allotted to BSNL ARFCN
FREQUENCY IN MHz

Uplink Downlink

63 902.6 947.6

64 902.8 947.8

66 903.2 948.2

67 903.4 948.4

68 903.6 948.6

69 903.8 948.8

70 904.0 949.0

71 904.2 949.2

73 904.6 949.6

74 904.8 949.8

75 905.0 950.0

76 905.2 950.2

77 905.4 950.4

78 905.6 950.6

80 906.0 951.0

81 906.2 951.2

82 906.4 951.4

87 907.4 952.4

88 907.6 952.6

111 912.2 957.2

112 912.4 957.4

113 912.6 957.6

115 913.0 958.0

116 913.2 958.2

117 913.4 958.4

118 913.6 958.6

119 913.8 958.8

120 914.0 959.0

122 914.4 959.4

123 914.6 959.6

4
124 914.8 959.8
  The access method in GSM is both FDMA & TDMA
 FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access): achieved by dividing the
available radio spectrum into 125 sub-channels each of 200KHz
bandwidth so that multiple users can access the system at the same
time
 TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) : each carrier is divided into 8
Time Slots so that each Frequency Channel is shared by 8 users at a
time on time sharing basis
f

Carrier-124

Carrier-1

Carrier-0
t
TS0 TS1 TS7

One TDMA frame

5
 GSM Time Division Multiple Access
Frame and Physical Channels
Physical Channels are the Time Slots in TDMA Frame

Time-slot TDMA frame TDMA frame

TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS TS

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

(frames repeat continuously)

Time
0 4.615 ms 9.23 ms

Physical channel # 2 = recurrence of time-slot # 2

6
 One Time Slot has a duration of 0.577mS (148 bits)
 8 timeslots (8 x 0.577 = 4.615 ms) form a TDMA frame

7
 GSM NETWORK ARCHITECTURE MSC – Mobile Switching Centre
VLR – Visitor Location Register
HLR – Home Location Register
AUC – Authentication Centre
EIR – Equipment Identity Register
AUC
BSC – Base Station Controller
EIR BTS – Base Trnsceiver Station
PLMN – Public Land Mobile Network (other GSM operators)
PSTN – Public Switched Telephony Network (Land Line N/W)
ISDN – Integrated Services Digital Network (Data Network, Fax,
HLR etc.)
Billing SMSC IN
IN – Intelligent N/W Server (Prepaid and Virtual Private N/W)
SMSC – Short Message Service Centre
PLMN SGSN – Service GPRS Support Node
VLR
GPRS – General Packet Radio Services
PSTN MSC MS – Mobile Station

ISDN
BSC BTS
MS

SGSN 8
Cells
 GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

MSC (Mobile Switching Centre)

The MSC is the primary node of the GSM cellular system
 Performs Call Processing like call set up, switching of the call, call termination
and charging
 Provides interface of the GSM network to PSTN and other PLMNs
 Routes calls between the GSM N/W and PSTN and other PLMNs
 Interrogates HLR for MSRN in order to route a call to a Mobile Station
 Inter-BSC Handover
 Paging of the MS for an Incoming Call, SMS
 Generates Billing data and routes Call Detail records (CDRs) to the Billing server
 Monitors Traffic and Load on the System and different Routes
 Generates Reports on Network performance, etc.

9
GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

HLR (Home Location Register)

HLR is a permanent database of the Subscriber Services
 Stores user data of all Subscribers related to the GMSC
 International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
 Users telephone number (MSISDN)
 Subscription information and services (like STD, ISD, Call Forwarding, Call
Waiting, SMMO, SMMT, Roaming Subscription Information, etc.)
 Current VLR address and LAI (current location of the MS)
 Referred to for an Incoming Call for MSRN (Mobile Subscribers Roaming
Number)
 A subscriber’s data are deleted from the HLR database only when his
subscription is ended

10
 GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

VLR (Visitor Location Register)

VLR is a temporary database of the subscribers currently present in the MSC/VLR
service area
 When a subscriber enters the MSC/VLR area a copy of his Subscription details is
copied to the VLR database from his home HLR
 Contains Subscriber parameters and location information for all mobile
subscribers currently located in the geographical area controlled by that VLR
 Identity of Mobile Subscriber (MSISDN, IMSI, etc)
 Copy of subscriber data from HLR (so that each time the subscriber establishes a
call or has an incoming call, or for SMS, the HLR need not be queried which
would increase the Call Processing Time and Signaling Load)
 Generates and allocates a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity(TMSI)
 Contains Location Area Identity (LAI) – a group of cells
 Updates the LAI when a subscriber changes location
 Contains the IMEI of the MS
 The subscribers database form the VLR is deleted when he moves to another
MSC/VLR area

11
GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

AUC (Authentication Centre)

Authenticates the subscriber’s IMSI to receive service in the MSC/VLR area (own
subscribers or from MSCs with whom we have Roaming agreement, like BSNL
allover India, MTNL Delhi and Mumbai. And not subscribers from Private operators
with whom we don’t have Roaming agreement)

 At subscription time, each subscriber (SIM) is assigned an Authentication

Key (Ki). Ki is stored in the AUC along with the subscriber’s IMSI. The
same Ki and IMSI are also stored in the SIM. In an AUC the following steps
are carried out :
 A non-predictable random number, RAND, is generated
 RAND and Ki are used to calculate SRES (Signed Response) and Cipher Key
(Kc), using two different algorithms, A3 and A8 respectively
 RAND, SRES and Kc are delivered together to the HLR as a triplet

 The MSC/VLR transmits the RAND to the MS

 The MS computes the Kc and SRES using RAND and the authentication key
(Ki)
 The SRES is sent back to MSC/VLR, which performs authentication, by
checking whether the SRES from the MS and the SRES from the AUC
match. If so, the subscriber is permitted to use the network. If not, the
subscriber is barred from network access.

12
GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

EIR (Equipment Identity Register)

EIR The equipment identification procedure uses the identity of the equipment
itself (IMEI) to ensure that the MS terminal equipment is valid.
 EIR is a database that contains a list of all valid mobile station equipment within
the network, where each mobile station is identified by its International Mobile
Equipment Identity(IMEI)

 EIR has three databases:

 White list - For all known, good IMEIs
 Black list - For all bad or stolen handsets
 Grey list - For handsets/IMEI’s that are faulty or non-approved mobile
equipment

13
 GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

BSC (Base Station Controller)

The BSC is a high capacity switch that manages all the radio-related functions of a
GSM network. It also provides physical links between the MSC and BTS.
 Monitors and controls several BTSs
 Manages channel allocation on the radio interface during a call process
 Alarm Handling from the external interfaces and BTSs
 Performs inter-cell Call Handover
 Interface to OMC (Operation & Maintenance Centre) for BSS (Base
Station system) Management
 It contains the Cell configuration data (like Cell Identity,
Frequencies/BCCH list, Handover parameters, Neighbour cells, BTS
power data, etc.)
 The BTS collects data on signal strength and quality of the
neighbouring cells. The BSC uses these data to allocate a channel
during call setup or call handover
 Several BSCs can be controlled by an MSC

14
 GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

BTS (Base Transceiver Station)

The BTS is the radio equipment (transceivers and antennas) needed to serve each cell in the
network. A group of BTSs are controlled by a BSC.
 The BTS's main function is to provide connection with the MSs over
the air interface.
 Consists of one or more radio terminals (called TRU – Transceiver
Unit) for transmission and reception
 Each Radio terminal/TRU handles an RF Channel/ARFCN
 Receiption of channel requests from MSs (during a call setup,
handover, etc)
 The BTS is responsible for the processing of signals before
transmission and after reception. This includes:
 Ciphering using the ciphering key (Kc)
 Modulation and Demodulation (GSM uses GMSK-Gaussian
Minimum Shift Keying), etc.

15
 GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS

The Cell
The cell is basic unit of the Cellular System. It is the Geographical area covered a
BTS.

 Each cell is assigned a unique number called Cell Global Identity(CGI).

404-77-80-10001

Mobile Country Code Mobile Network Code BSC Identity Cell Identity
(404 for India) (77 for BSNL NE)

CGI

16
GSM NETWORK ELEMENTS
Why Cellular structure
The Need of the Cell
 Cellular structure increases capacity : In GSM Eight Subscribers can share an
ARFCN using TDMA. And we have only 31 ARFCNs. So if we had only one BTS
covering the whole service area, we would end up with only 31 x 8 = 248
Subscribers talking simultaneously. So the whole Service area is divided into many
Cells covering only a small area. And cells having similar frequencies are placed a
little distance away so that their frequencies don’t interfere.
 Optimum Spectrum Usage : with only limited number of ARFCNs avilable the
option is to re-use the frequencies a little distance away. This way we can have
hundreds of cells wisely placed so that their frequencies don’t interfere (using only
31 frequencies)
 Less transmission power needed

17
 The capacity of the Cell is limited by the number of TRUs of the BTS. If
a Cell has 4 TRUs (each TRU handles one ARFCN), the capacity of the
Cell becomes :
4TRU x 8TS/ARFCN = 32

 Cell size ranges from some 100 m in cities to, e.g., 35 km on the
country side 7
6 2
1
5 3
Cluster-1
7 4
6 2
1
Cluster-1
5 3
4

18
SIM (Subscriber Identity Module)

 Portable Card with memory (ROM-6KB to 16KB-has A3/A8

algorithms, RAM- 128KB TO 256KB, EEPROM- 3KB to 8KB )
 It contains:
 International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
 Personal Identification Number (PIN)
 Pin Unlock Key (PUK)
 Authentication Key (Ki)
 Location Area Identity (LAI)

19
 Location Area Identity (LAI)
A group of Cells is called a Location Area. It is this location information about the MS that is
stored in the VLR.

LAI-2

LAI-1

LAI-3
20
 When an MS has an Incoming Call or an Mobile Terminated SMS, the BSC pages all the
Cells in the Location Area where the MS is located.
 When the MS responds to the paging message, the BTS adds its identity (CGI) to it.
 All Call Setup procedure is then initiated in that particular Cell only.
 The MS stores the current LAI in it.
 When the MS moves to a new LA, it reads from the system the new LA and updates it. It
also informs the VLR its new LAI, which subsequently updates it in its database. This
procedure is called Location Updation.
 The LA can not be too BIG, as then for an Incoming Call or MT SMS, a lot of Cells would
have to be Paged, which would increase the Processor Load on BSC.
 It can not be too SMALL either, as this would result in frequent Location Updation of the
Mobile, increasing again the Processor Load on BSC.
 So the LAI would be a compromise between being too Big or too Small.
 Typically a group of adjacent cities covered by the Network would be assigned an LAI. Next
group of adjacent cities would be assigned another LAI.
 The format of LAI is :
404-77-80

Mobile Country Code Mobile Network Code BSC Identity

(404 for India) (77 for BSNL NE)

Location Area Identity 21

SUBSCRIBER IDENTIFICATION IN GSM NETWORK
There are few numbering schemes for identification of a subscriber in the GSM network.

Mobile Station ISDN Number (MSISDN)

91 94 36102025

Country Code National Destination Code Subscriber Number

91 for India 94 for BSNL 36102025 for a subscriber

Number of HLR
36 for BSNL NE


MSISDN uniquely identifies a subscriber in the GSM Network and it is the
number used for dialing a Subscriber.
 The HLR and VLR stores the MSISDN Number.

22
 International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)

404 77 1210002025

Mobile Country Code Mobile Network Code Mobile Station Identification Number
404 for India 77 for BSNL NE

 IMSI is a unique identity allocated to each subscriber.

 IMSI is used by the system.
 All network-related subscriber information is connected to the
IMSI.
 The IMSI is stored in the SIM, in the HLR and VLR.
 IMSI has a maximum length of 15 digits.

23
Mobile Station Roaming Number (MSRN)

 The MSRN is a number temporarily allocated to a Subscriber for routing a

Call to him.
 MSRN is allocated by the current VLR the Subscriber is in.
 After the Call is established the MSRN is released, and it can now be
allotted to another MS for an Incoming Call Setup.
 The HLR stores address of the current VLR where the subscriber is located.
When a call is made to a mobile subscriber , the HLR requests the current
MSC/VLR to provide an MSRN as a temporary routing number for the called
subscriber. Upon reception of the MSRN, the HLR sends it to the MSC
which can now use this number to route the call to the MSC/VLR where the
called subscriber is currently registered.
 MSRN has the same format as of MSISDN.
 In an MSC/VLR some thousands of Numbers are reserved to be used as
MSRN during Call Setup. These numbers are not allotted as MSISDN to
Subscribers.

24
International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)

 The IMEI is a uniquely identity of a Mobile Equipment.

 The IMEI can be seen by pressing
*#06#
 The IMEI consists of the following parts:
IMEI = TAC + FAC + SNR + SVN
 TAC : Type Approval Code - determined by a central GSM body (6

digits)
 FAC : Final Assembly Code - identifies the manufacturer (2 digits)

 SNR : Serial Number - an individual serial number of six digits

uniquely identifies all equipment within each TAC and FAC (6digits)
 SVN : Software Version Number - allows the manufacturer to

identify different versions of a given type of approved mobile (2

digits)

25
 Channel Concept
 The Time slots in a TDMA Frame in GSM are called Physical
Channels.
 Logical Channels are Mapped in the Physical Channels.
 Logical Channels are used for communication between the MS
and the BTS, like
 transmission of user data and voice,
 call setup and Handover signaling,
 system informations like LAI, BCCH,
 Adjacent Cells Signal strength,
 SMS,
 Cell Broadcast Messages (site name display), etc.

TS-0 TS-1 TS-2 TS-3 TS-4 TS-5 TS-6 TS-7

Time slots (physical channels) in a TDMA Frame where the different Logical Channels are configured

26
 LOGICAL CHANNELS

TRAFFIC SIGNALLING
TCH

BROADCAST COMMON CONTROL DEDICATED CONTROL

FCCH SCH BCCH

RACH
PCH AGCH
FCCH -- FREQUENCY CORRECTION CHANNEL
SCH -- SYNCHRONISATION CHANNEL
BCCH -- BROADCAST CONTROL CHANNEL
PCH -- PAGING CHANNEL
SDCCH SACCH FACCH
RACH -- RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL
AGCH -- ACCESS GRANT CHANNEL
SDCCH -- STAND ALONE DEDICATED CONTROL CHANNEL DOWN LINK ONLY
SACCH -- SLOW ASSOCIATED CONTROL CHANNEL BOTH UP &
FACCH -- FAST ASSOCIATED CONTROL CHANNEL UPLINK ONLY DOWNLINKS
27
 Channel Concept
 Traffic Channel (TCH)
 TCH carries Voice Data
 One TCH is allocated for every Voice Call
 Occupies one TS

 Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) -- broadcasts Cell Informations like:

 Location Area Identity (LAI)
 Maximum Power allowed in the Cell
 Frequency used in the Cell
 Neighbouring Cells’ BCCH Frequencies
 Occupies one TS

 Cell Broadcast Channel (CBCH)

 Downloads the Name of the BTS, like Airport, Lichubagan, etc.
 Each Cell has one CBCH. 1 CBCH and 7 SDCCH occupies one TS

 Stand alone Dedicated Control Channel (SDCCH)

 Call Setup Procedure
 SMS – SMMT and SMMO (when the MS is in idle mode)
 Handover
 Max 8 SDCCH occupies one TS

28
 Channel Concept
 Paging Channel (PCH)
 Transmits a MS identity (IMSI) for an Incoming Call or SMS
(SMMT)

 Random Access Channel (RACH)

 Receives access request from MS for Call setup, Location Updation,
SMS (SMMO)

 Access Grant Channel (AGCH)

 Grants access to the system by allotting an SDCCH to be used
during Call setup, Mobile Originating SMS or Location Updation

 Slow Associated Control Channel (SACCH)

 Transmission of Signal Strength and quality of the neighbouring
cells
 SMS – when the MS is in Busy Mode

 Fast Associated Control Channel (FACCH)

 Used for Handover Commands

29
 Channel Concept
 Frequency Correction Channel (FCCH)
 Gives information about the BCCH carrier frequency
 Allows MS to synchronize to the BCCH frequency used in the Cell

 Synchronization Channel (SCH)

 Informs the MS about the TDMA frame number
 Base Station Identity Code (BSIC)

30
Traffic Cases – Call to an MS

PCH : the MS is paged in the LA where it is located

RACH : the MS requests for a Signaling Channel

AGCH : access is granted. An SDCCH and a SACCH is allocated

SDCCH and SACCH are used for Call Setup.

A TCH is assigned
SDCCH is released

31
Traffic Cases – Call from an MS

RACH : the MS requests for a Signaling Channel

AGCH : access is granted. An SDCCH and a SACCH is allocated

SDCCH : the MS sends a Call setup Request

SDCCH : an idle TCH is allocated

Call establishes on TCH

SDCCH is released

32
Thank You
Narayan Bhowmik
Jr. Telecom Officer (MSC), Agartala.

33